אות - פח

Know that there are bundles upon bundles of transgressions, may the Merciful One protect us (185), for "one transgression drags another transgression" (Avos 4:2) — when a person transgresses, Heaven forbid, the first transgression drags him to commit other transgressions that are specifically connected to it. And similarly when he commits another transgression, Heaven forbid, it also drags connected transgressions along with it — for every transgression and transgression drags the transgressions connected to it, which are pulled after it. But not transgressions unconnected to it. And this is the aspect of bundles upon bundles of transgressions, Heaven forbid. For the first transgression together with the transgressions that were dragged after it — namely those connected to it as mentioned — they are in the aspect of one bundle of transgressions. And similarly another transgression together with the transgressions connected to it that were dragged after it is another bundle, and so on — until there come to be, Heaven forbid, bundles upon bundles of transgressions, may the Merciful One protect us. And from each and every bundle a band of destroyers and accusers is created (Avos 4:11). And the destroyers cry out: "Give us life! Give us sustenance!" — for he is the ba'al averah [master of the transgression]. That is — he is the owner of the transgression and must give them life and sustenance (186). For the first transgression he committed without compulsion, and he must certainly give it sustenance. And even the other transgressions connected to the first transgression that were dragged after it — he must give them sustenance as well. And even though he was as though compelled to commit them since the first transgression dragged them as mentioned — even so he must give them sustenance, for they have the argument: you should have performed a mitzvah immediately after the first transgression, and the mitzvah would have protected him (187). Therefore he must give sustenance and vitality to all of them. And the remedy is that he should learn to perform and fulfill the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy and kindness (188) — that is, to have compassion and to multiply acts of kindness and to fulfill all the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy (189). For by fulfilling the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy he arouses from above the Thirteen Supernal Attributes of Mercy, and through this the destroyers that were created by the transgressions are subdued and pass away — in the aspect of: "G-d, King Who sits upon the throne of mercy... forgiving the transgressions of His people, causing the first ones to pass first." That is — through the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, the Holy Blessed One causes the first transgressions of each and every bundle to pass away, and then the rest of the transgressions in the bundle return to Hashem Yisburach and He blessed He gives them vitality. And this is the aspect of: "I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You" (Psalms 51:15). "Your ways" — this is the aspect of the Thirteen Attributes, as it is written: "Please let me know Your ways" (Shemos 33:13) — and the Holy Blessed One showed him the Thirteen Attributes. That is — when one learns to perform the Thirteen Attributes, then — "sinners will return to You" — namely, the transgressions in the bundle return to Hashem Yisburach. But from where does the Holy Blessed One give them vitality? Know that there is in the sitra achra [the other side] the aspect of "first among the first" — namely, the aspect of Edom who is called "first" as it is written (Bereishis 25:25): "And the first came out ruddy." And he is the first among the first — meaning he is first to the first transgressions mentioned, for all of them are drawn and come through him. For in truth, given the great holiness of Israel, they should not commit transgressions at all, Heaven forbid — only because of the severity of the exile they endure from the nations through taxes and levies, because of this they come to transgressions, Heaven forbid. It is found that all the transgressions are drawn through Edom — through our being given over in exile to him — and he is the first among the first as mentioned. And therefore the Holy Blessed One places the transgressions upon him, and vitality is drawn to them from him. And this is the aspect of "Place sin upon their sin" (Psalms 69:28) — that the Holy Blessed One places upon him the transgressions of Israel, and vitality is drawn to them from him. And all this is accomplished through the compassion — through which one arouses the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy as mentioned. But the poor who have no quality of compassion — because they are in the aspect of the force of strict judgment (190), the aspect of Shimon of whom it is said (Bereishis 49:7): "I will divide them in Yaakov and scatter them in Israel" — who go door-to-door (Bereishis Rabbah 98:10). And Shimon is the aspect of Gevuros [strengths] and Dinnim [judgments] as is taught (Zohar Bereishis 236b; Shemos 6), and as we see clearly that they are very cruel — for they have no quality of compassion because they are in the aspect of the force of strict judgment and there is no mercy in judgment. And since they have no compassion — which is the aspect of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy — and they cannot arouse the Thirteen Supernal Attributes — therefore they must ask Hashem Yisburach for mercy directly, meaning they must plead and beseech before Hashem Yisburach that He have mercy from Himself with His Thirteen Attributes and arouse with His own mercies the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy and cause the first ones to pass first. And this is the aspect of: "Do not remember against us former transgressions — may Your mercy come quickly to us, for we have become very poor" (Psalms 79:8) — that we ask Hashem Yisburach not to remember against us the first transgressions of each and every bundle of transgressions as mentioned. That is — to cause the first of each and every bundle to pass, in the aspect of "causing the first ones to pass first" etc. as mentioned — so that through this all the remaining transgressions of each and every bundle are automatically nullified and removed. But for this we would need to fulfill all the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy in order to arouse through this the Thirteen Supernal Attributes, through which the Holy Blessed One causes the first ones to pass etc. as mentioned. And for this we ask: "May Your mercy come quickly to us" — specifically from Your own Self — "for we have become very poor" etc. as mentioned — for we are very poor and destitute and we have no quality of compassion as mentioned, and we have no power to merit to arouse the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. Therefore we spread our palms before Him blessed He and beseech Him to arouse from Himself the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy — for we have no power to arouse them "for we have become very poor" etc. as mentioned. And this is: "May Your mercy come quickly to us" — specifically from Your own Self — "for we have become very poor" etc. as mentioned. And through this: "Do not remember against us former transgressions" — in the aspect of "causing the first ones to pass first" etc. as mentioned above. 185. RAK: Vayikra Rabbah 21:4. Chayai Moharan 71. 186. RAK: The harmful forces and accusers created from the transgressions take revenge upon the one who created them. (See Tomer Devorah, ch. 1). 187. RAK: See Sotah 21a; Vayikra Rabbah 21:4. 188. RAK: Mentioned in Shemos 34:6. Michah 7:18. See Rosh HaShanah 17b; Zohar III, 128b. 189. RAK: See Tomer Devorah, ch. 1. 190. RAK: The force of strict judgment. Zohar, Bereishis, 236b.